Watertight vertical doors



April 9, 1969 J. B. OLSSON 3,440,762

WATERTIGHT VERTICAL DOORS Filed NOV. 14, 1966 Sheet of 3 P HLL FIG. 1

INVENTOR Johan Ber-UL Dlssqn ATTORNEYs April l9.69 .1, a. OLSSON WATERTIGHT VERTICAL DOORS Filed Nov. 14 1966 lhllLl INVENTOR. Johan BertiL Dlsso April 29, 1969 .1. a. OLSSON 3,440,762

WATERTIGHT VERTICAL DOORS Filed Nov. 14, 1956 Sheet 3 of 3 FIGS FIG.7

JNVENTOR. JoHcun BeHuL Olsson BY Fwd KPW AH rhea;

United States Patent US. Cl. 49209 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door fitted into an Opening in a wall structure is adapted to be hoisted vertically upwards along the outside of the wall. To bring the door outside the wall prior to the hoisting the door is provided with means adapted to push the lower part thereof outwards as a first step. The hoisting mechanism contains a winch located at the inside of the opening and having its wire connected to a generally horizontal bracket attached to the lower part of the door. The free end of this bracket is tilted downwards during the initial pushing outwards of the lower part of the door, and when a pulling force thereafter is applied to the wire the door is first righted to a vertical position completely outside the wall, and the hoisting may begin.

The present invention refers to improvements in essentially vertical'doors, especially watertight doors arranged in the shell plating of ships.

Previous designs of such doors have usually been arranged to swing about hinges arranged in the frame surrounding the door opening. Such doors require a comparatively big space outside the ships side for opening, which means that these designs have been utilized for smaller doors only.

In other designs of doors, these have been arranged to be swung upwards more or less parallel to the side plating. Such a door requires less room to move, but when the door is of suflicient size to permit cars and trucks to be driven into the ship, also this kind of door will be cumbersome. Furthermore it is often impossible to open and close the door, when the ship is tied up along a quay.

One object of the invention is to provide a door which during the initial opening movement is pushed outwards from the wall structure and thereafter is hoisted essentially parallel to the wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for bringing about the outward pushing movement.

Another object of the invention is to combine above mentioned means with members adapted to secure the door in closed position.

Further objects of the invention will be apparent from the description of the various embodiments, and the manner in which these are operated.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows one embodiment of a side door according to the invention, partly in section.

FIGURES 2 and 3 are sections along lines IIII and III-III, respectively, in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a section corresponding to FIGURE 2 and 3 with the door in open-elevated position.

FIGURE 5 is a section along line VV in FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 6 and 7 show an other embodiment of the invention with the door in the same positions as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4, respectively.

The door is on the drawings denoted by 1 and a frame surrounding the door is denoted by 2. This frame is integrated with the shell plating of the ship. The door according to FIGURES l-5 is arranged to hang in and be governed by links 3, which each is provided with a guide member 4 cooperating with a guideway 5 attached to the shell plating. The links 3 are connected to the door by means of strong pins 6, carried by brackets 7. A shaft 8 extends across the lower part of the door and is operated by means of a pressure medium motor (piston cylinder 9) in such a manner that an arm 23 fixed to the shaft may perform a limited swinging movement. To each ends of the shaft is further fitted an arm 10, which at its free end carries a roller 11. This is intended to cooperate with a guide way 12 arranged in the jamb portions of the frame 2. The lower part of each guideway forms an enlarged pocket 13, which permit arm 10 to perform a certain dead-motion movement. To the lower portion of the door are further fitted brackets 14 designed as box girders. The free ends of these brackets are each provided with a fitting for wires 15, which are lead over sheaves 16 in the frame to a lifting device 17 mounted within a recess 18 above the door 1. The brackets 14 extend such a distance from the door, that the fittings for the wire, when the door is moved to open position, will be located essentially directly below the sheaves 16 or the lifting device 17, respectively.

The vertical sides of the door are each provided with a roller 19 adapted to cooperate with an abutment 20 in the jambs of the frame 2. The upper part of the door is provided with a number of wheels 21, which during the opening movement of the door will roll along the shell plating or along guides (not shown) fitted thereto. The guides 5 may be designed to cooperate with wheels 21. In this manner the links 3 may be deleted.

Shaft 8 further carries a number of fixed fittings 22 located in such a position in relation to arm 10 and arm 23 connected to cylinder 9, that they during the closing of the door 1 will cooperate with a ledge 24 in the lower part of the frame to force the door 1 against a sealing 25.

A dogging mechanism of arbitrary known design (vide FIGURE 5) for instance operated by a hydraulic mechanism may be arranged at the three remaining sides of the door. These dogging mechanisms may consist of two armed levers 26, which are operated by means of rods 27 running along the pertaining side of the door. An axial displacement of such a rod 27 brings about a displacement in the direction away from the frame, in such a manner that levers 26 will force the door against parts forming continuation of sealing 25.

The hydraulic mechanism 9 and further hydraulic mechanisms (not shown) for the dogging members 26, 27 are preferably connected to the same supply pipe, and are preferably operated by means of a hand pump (not illustrated) arranged on the inside of the door. The arrangement works in the following manner:

When cylinder 9 is subjected to pressure shaft 8 will be turned clockwise, whereby fittings 22 will be swung upwards to break the connections with ledge 24. This is possible as the lower part of guide 12 is designed as a pocket 13, which permits arm 10 and roller 11 to follow this movement. When further pressure medium is supplied to cylinder 9 roller 11 will be forced against guide way 12 and the lower portion of the door will be swung outwards from the shell plating, with pin 6 as a fulcrum. The inner end of bracket 14 will hereby be inclined somewhat downwards. Wires 15 will, as shown in FIGURE 5, be brought into an essentially vertical position. When the lifting is started a straightening up of the door is obtained by the bracket 14, through cooperation between wheel 11 and the guide, being brought back to its horizontal position. The door will hereby be brought entirely outside the ships side and the lifting of the door may begin. During the initial operation rollers 19 will, in cooperation with abutments 20 assist in forcing the upper portion of the door outwards from the shell plating as far as permitted by the links 3 (dash-dotted position in FIGURE 3). During the continued hoisting of the door wheels 21 will roll along the shell plating. Links 3 are by means of abutments 28 arranged at brackets 7 prevented from performing a swinging movement bigger than 90.

When the door is fully open it is locked by means of suitable locking means 29, which may be located in an easily reached position, for instance at the upper deck 30.

According to a modified design of the invention shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 the door may also be opened in a reversed manner, that is the upper portion thereof will be swung outwards before the lower portion. This manner of operation pre-supposes that the hydraulic mechanism 9 may be operated independently of that for the dogging mechanism. In this manner it will be possible to delete rollers 19 and abutment 20. The guides for the door will in this design be located entirely inside the door opening. When the dogging mechanisms on all sides of the door have been released a preliminary lifting force is supplied to brackets 14 by means of the lifting device 17. This brings about a movement, which strives to swing the upper portion of the door outwards, utilizing roller 11 as pivot. When the upper portion of the door has reached its outward position the lower portion of the door may be moved by the hydraulic mechanism 9 being perated in the manner above described. When the door has been brought to the position entirely outside the shell plating indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIGURE 3 the hoisting by means of lifting device 17 may proceed as before. The free end of each bracket 14 is turned upwards along the plane of the door and is provided with wheel 30 adapted for cooperation with a second guide 31 in each vertical side of the door opening. The upper part of this guide is parallel to guide 12 and as the wheels 30 and 11 are arranged at different levels a leverage is obtained, which prevents the open door to fall outwards from the shell plating.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and described but the door may be utilized for other purposes than on board ships, for instance in connection with warehouses and garages.

What I claim is:

1. A closure means for an opening in an essentially vertical wall structure having a first side and a second side, especially a water-tight door arranged in a door opening in the shell plating of a ship, comprising a mechanism for hoisting the door fitted to the first side of the wall structure and above the door opena bracket fitted to the lower part of the door;

a wire connecting said mechanism to said bracket, said wire extending inwards for a distance making the point of connection for the wire to the bracket located well inward of the mechanism, when the door is closed;

guiding means fitted to the wall structure and adapted to govern the door during opening and closing movement; and

operating means at the lower part of the door pushing that part outside the second side of the wall structure during the initial opening movement.

2. A closure means according to claim 1, in which the operating means consists of at least one lever pivotably connected to the door at each lower corner thereof, each lever at its one end being provided with a roller adapted to cooperate with a guide arranged in the door opening.

3. A closure means according to claim 1, in which the bracket extends such a distance from the door, that the point of attachment for the wire, when the door has been swung out from the wall structure, will be located essentially in the same plane as the hoisting device.

4. A closure means according to claim 1, in which an abutment having an inclined surface is arranged in each of the vertical sides of the door opening and a roller is fitted to the juxtaposed side of the door, said abutment and said roller cooperating to assist in bringing about an outward movement of the upper part of the door during the initial hoisting movement.

5. A closure means according to claim 1, in which the upper part of the door is provided with wheels adapted during the opening and closing movement of the door to slide along the wall structure.

6. A closure means according to claim 5, in which links at the upper part of the door cooperate with the guiding means at the wall structure above the door opening.

7. A closure means according to claim 2, in which the levers of the operating means are fixedly connected to a horizontal shaft running across the lower part of the door, a servomechanism being arranged to turn the shaft which also carries means for forcing the door towards the frame of the door opening.

8. A closure means according to claim 2, in which the free end of each bracket is bent upwards along the door and is provided with a wheel adapted to cooperate with a second guide arranged in each vertical side of the door opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,084,639 6/1937 Grons 49209 2,313,095 3/ 1943 Schneider 49-210 FOREIGN PATENTS 555,902 4/ 1923 France. 1,166,659 3/1964 Germany.

701,314 12/ 1953 Great Britain.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. I. KARL BELL, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

